officeinsight Articles on Events

3.2.15 | We are in a time of major change in what people expect from their offices, workers and employers alike. Since we all work in the field of workplace design and furnishing, we may welcome the opportunity to rise above the day-to-day fray and look at how and why the office came to be as it is. Speakers Nikil Saval and Adam Davidson at the 2015 BIFMA 360o Leadership Conference discussed the history and evolution of the office as we know it from its roots in the pre-industrial age. And while they agreed on the history, their conclusions as to the whys couldn’t have been more different.

3.2.15 | In this concluding piece of coverage of the 2015 BIFMA 360o Leadership Conference, officeinsight explores the primary topics guiding the conference’s “Make It” theme, including the “sharing economy,” the maker movement, and transforming products into platforms for engagement with consumers who are increasingly focused on value and trust.

2.16.15 | Give the people of our industry a reason to party, and they will travel far and wee to see and be seen! On January 30th, the 36th edition of Contract Magazine’s annual “Interiors Awards Breakfast” was the reason, and more than 600 industry notables traveled from all over the globe to join one another in celebrating this year’s winners.

2.16.15 | The planets have aligned for the rise of analytics, according to Thomas Davenport, a speaker at the BIFMA 360 Leadership Conference. A combination of powerful IT, critical data mass, tech skills sufficiency, and a need for better decision-making has companies investing in analytics, and for good reason.

2.9.15 | At the end of January at IIDA Headquarters in the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, four panelists addressed interior designers, architects and students in the field regarding the Illinois Design Practitioner Act, a practice act set to enter the Illinois state senate in 2015 and state house in 2016. The legislation seeks to support the legal recognition of interior designers who work in the code-impacted environment.

2.2.15 | This year, BIFMA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer Association) took us to Miami for its signature conference, the BIFMA 360 Leadership Conference. Conference attendees, most leaders at their respective companies, enjoyed a curated list of speakers around this year’s conference theme, “Make It,” while enjoying the Florida sunshine on the pristine grounds of the Trump National Doral Resort.

2.2.15 | New York's Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum reopened in December 2014 after a renovation project that kept it closed for three years. As the only U.S. museum devoted to design of all periods from pre-history to the present, it is a precious resource. Now, it has 16,000 square feet of exhibition space, up from 10,000, all of it designed to current standards. Perhaps the most significant change for visitors is the extensive installation of interactive digital devices.

1.12.15 | As we kick off a new year at officeinsight, we take a look back at what all transpired throughout 2014. As it turns out, that’s a lot! Progressive concepts such as evidence based design and active design have become much more mainstream, and the idea of providing office workers with choices among workspace types is gaining momentum. Contract furniture companies also spearheaded a trend of expansion into the education, healthcare, and residential/consumer markets.

12.8.14 | Last Wednesday evening simultaneous events lit up Manhattan big time. The City of New York flipped the switch on the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center and Interior Design Magazine put on a glittering show in the Grand Ballroom of the storied Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Feasts and ritual celebrations build community and strengthen bonds among the members of the community, and the annual Interior Design Hall of Fame dinner is one such event.

12.8.14 | IIDEXCanada, to use the updated moniker of Canada’s largest design expo and conference, sported a new look and feel this year. It co-located with Construct Canada and seven related events to create the Buildings Show. The new umbrella brand is billed as North America’s largest annual exposition, networking and educational event focusing on the design, construction and management of real estate. The mega-show featured 1,600 exhibits and 350 seminars and demonstrations. Officeinsight correspondent David Lasker shares impressions of some of the more interesting booths.